How important is it to set session runtime limits in PHP applications to ensure optimal performance and security?

Setting session runtime limits in PHP applications is crucial for ensuring optimal performance and security. By defining a specific session lifetime, you can prevent sessions from lingering indefinitely and consuming unnecessary server resources. This also helps mitigate security risks associated with session hijacking and session fixation attacks.

// Set session lifetime to 30 minutes
ini_set('session.gc_maxlifetime', 1800);
session_start();